His themes dealt primarily with the science of perspective, drawing, human proportions, and

watercolor painting. Though there were few teachers on western techniques in art, Onabolu's period
started the separation of art and life.
Onabolu also encouraged the adoption of European teachers in art instruction in the country. His
effort led to the hiring of a foreign art teacher named Kenneth C. Murray. Murray led a gradual re-
awakening of traditional handicraft and arts. The new approach of promoting indigenous African arts
and staying within the native repository of knowledge in traditional African arts was introduced into
the curriculum of various secondary schools in the country. The efforts of the new instructor yielded
early dividends, as the number of Nigerian art instructors increased and knowledge of traditional
works such as the Uli body and wall became more pronounced. However, Murray's effort meant little
in the long run as the country was in the midst of a colonial and Western government which
introduced its own way or life, leading to a gradual shift in the society from traditional to a Western
culture.

Works[edit]
Onabolu's major artworks were portraits. His portrait of Mrs Spencer Savage in 1906 is sometimes
credited as one of the earliest outstanding work of art that used a western and modern style and
technique. Another major work of his was the portrait of Mr Randle. The latter was his mentor who
got his attention on the deleterious characteristics of colonialism which was accentuated with
a segregationist governor in the person of Walter Egerton. He also made a portrait of Chief (Dr.)
Sapara which was in watercolor
Several of his portraits are held in the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos.
The major figures in his work were Lagos elites who were successful professionals in their field of
work, and his work usually depicted a countenance of respect, achievement and status of his clients.
However, his work was not limited to portraiture. In the 1930s, he worked with the Church of Christ in
designing the pews of a new cathedral to be built in Lagos. He later produced pastel compositions
and studies in the 1940s.